Friday, May 29, 2015

Watching a Worm-eating Warbler

[Worm-eating Warblers are known for their somewhat unique foraging habit: hanging upside down on (often dead) clumps of leaves to extract tasty bits like caterpillars. Here, one does just that. Note the rolled-up leaf the warbler has its feet around - many butterfly and moth larvae will curl themselves inside leaves for protection during the day, emerging to feed on the leaves at night. Belleplain State Forest, NJ, May 27, 2015. Click to enlarge photos.]

My son Tim called it epic. We chanced upon a foraging Worm-eating Warbler at very close range in Belleplain State Forest, NJ early Wednesday morning, and spent several minutes watching it as it foraged in classic wormie fashion, hanging upside down at leaf clusters. Using different foraging styles is one way birds in a forest, or anywhere, can partition resources - not that they choose to do that, it's just what has evolved and allowed different species to coexist in the same place at the same time. Thus Worm-eating Warblers avoid competition with, say, neighboring Red-eyed Vireos, which tend to spot-and-stalk openly visible caterpillars higher in the canopy.

[Now we can see the Worm-eating Warbler's target - a caterpillar wrapped in silk, rolled up in the leaf, hoping to stay safe for the day. Not so for this one - the worm-eating shortly extracted it, flew off to the ground with it, pummeled it with its bill, and ate it.]

This blog is about. . .

. . . sharing the joy found in birds and life. Especially birds, birders and birding in Cape May, NJ, where I happen to live. Generally I stick to thoughts and photos of birds and other wildlife, with occasional i.d. tips or ecology notes, though wider-ranging subjects creep in now and then.

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About Me

A wildlife professional for 32 years, with a career including the Cape May Bird Observatory; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; NJ Audubon; Rutgers U.; Hunterdon Cty, NJ Parks; and the NJ Div.of Fish and Wildlife. Specialized in the human dimensions of wildlife conservation, with substantial habitat management, academic, and wildlife research experience. Operated a MAPS banding station for many years, a past member of the NJ Bird Records Committee, past editor of Records of New Jersey Birds, and a current board member of the NJTWS. Traveled to 24 states, 11 countries, and 5 continents, mostly as a birding tour leader. Competed in the NJ World Series of birding for 25 years, as a member of winning teams several times; in the Great Texas Birding Classic 4 times, winning once; and in Israel’s Champions of the Flyway event. Written over 1000 articles, 2 books and 3,000 blog posts, virtually all on some aspect of nature. Free-time pursuits include birding, hunting, traditional archery, photography, kayaking and training retrievers. Especially proud of my three adult children.